Japanese automakers have been making international headlines in recent months, but this time, for the wrong reasons.
As a string of data manipulation scandals and apparent quality control problems have been exposed in Japan's automotive industry, "Made in Japan," a label that once signified superior craftsmanship, is no longer what it used to be.
"MADE IN JAPAN" SHADOWED BY SCANDALS
The automotive world and beyond is currently buzzing about the massive airbag recall covering many millions of vehicles in North America, Europe, China and Japan.
The defective airbags were supplied by Japan's Takata company, which is the main airbag manufacturer in Japan and the major supplier of most Japanese automobile manufacturers.
A recent third-party investigation has revealed that the Japanese company manipulated and falsified test data regarding its air bags, which have caused over 100 deaths during the last decade.
The widening auto-safety scandal is only the latest one in Japan's manufacturing industry, which has witnessed a gradual but relentless decline since the early 1990s.
On May 18, Suzuki, the second largest Japanese manufacturer of light vehicles, admitted that it had falsified the fuel-economy data regarding 16 types of vehicles sold in Japan, involving over 2.1 million vehicles.
On April 20, 2016, Mitsubishi Motors' President Tetsuro Aikawa admitted in a press conference that his company had manipulated the fuel-economy tests, which involved some 600,000 vehicles.
